Mercenaries
by Neko Kate-chan
Summary: [shonen-ai[CloudSquall] Sephiroth, Chief Officer of First Class SOLDIER lets Cloud leave the oppressive ranks to freedom. However, when Cloud turns up at Garden, he finds himself trapped once more. Can he really reface his abuser for the good of the world
1. Chapter I

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Mercenaries

Chapter One:

SOLDIER meets SeeD

Author's Notes:

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Hiya! This is Neko Kate-Chan, coming into uncharted territory here… I'm used to the Kingdom Hearts area, where shonen-ai is abundant, however, here there is there seems to be a lack of it. So, here's a wonderful little shonen-ai fic for you all!! YAY!!

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Warning:

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This fic contains male/male love. Got that? Good…

This fic contains violence. Got that too? Going strong right, now listen closely.

This fic is a side project, don't ask too much of it…

Whew, there we go, you know there wasn't hard to understand was it?

Disclaimer:

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Oh yeah, I own Cloud and Squall and all the other characters and worlds, because I'm Hironobu Sakaguchi! Why are you looking at me weird? I am!

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SOLDIER, the elite military fighting force, the protectors of Esthar. Those who have been exposed to large amounts of Mako energy, pumped from the planet's core. Those who were supposed to be completely brainwashed into complete fealty to their superiors. Those who aren't supposed to be able to think for themselves…

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"What's your name and rank, SOLDIER?"

Supposedly the best of the best… So why were they being replaced by those wimpy SeeDs? What made those mercenaries from a place called Garden so special?

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"Cloud Strife, First Class. Commanding Officer-"

They were intelligent, they were trained from the age of five, they were constantly honing their skills. The SOLDIERS were only lazing around, until they finally died of Mako poisoning. It was amazing how many mysterious 'pub brawls' SOLDIERS got into…

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"I didn't ask for your commanding officer, SOLDIER."

So what did it take to leave the ranks of SOLDIER, even when you were so far in? The three class distinctions, Third to First, meant that many never were good enough to get anything near as good as 'real man's work'. How could they quit though? The Mako became addictive, they were like flies to the light…

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"I'm his commanding officer. He is my concern, thank you."

How could they live their life away from their Mako? It was as essential to them as breathing itself… And even if they got away, they could not hide from those who tracked down the deserters, the infamous Turks. Their glowing blue eyes gave them away…

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"How many times has it been now Cloud? Five? Six?"

They may have been the most prestigious of all the legions around the world. But they were virtually slaves, they could not escape once they had sold their life to the Mako.

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"Seven, Sephiroth, sir."

What it would be like to be free… Like the SeeD?

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"Why don't you give up Cloud? Surrender to me… I promise you, this existence is not so bad…"

Freedom…

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**"I have surrendered to you before Sephiroth, sir. It did me no harm, but it did me no good either. I want to be free Sephiroth. I can't cope with living inside a box…"**

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Mercenaries

Squall lay there, nibbling his lip thoughtfully. Beside him, Seifer slept fitfully, occasionally crying out at some unseen enemy. It had been three years since he'd defeated Ultimercia. Yet Seifer still saw her in his dreams, and his eyes were always haunted…

In short, Seifer had lost his spark.

Squall looked down at his sleeping lover and brushed the mirror image scar running across his forehead, sighing a little. Squall wasn't sure when he'd stopped thinking about girls that way, he was sure that it had been after the whole Rinoa falling into space incident. Then again, he still did think about certain girls that way…

But Seifer had blown him completely away. The blond had come to him one night, with no where to go, nothing to do, and no one to keep him company. He had smelt of alcohol, cheap cigarettes and body odour. Squall had washed him, clothed him and kept him until he was back on the straight and narrow.

The brunet wondered when he had started to see Seifer as more than a friendly rival… At the time, he had been dating Rinoa, but the relationship had been going nowhere… Then Seifer had turned up and within three months, Squall Leonhart had gone from the stoic hero, to the loved up fool he was now.

However, the light that used to shine in Seifer's eyes had dimmed recently when he looked at Squall… He had been quiet first, then the sex had stopped, finally he just hadn't been coming home any more. As hard as it was to accept, when Rinoa pointed out that she'd seen Seifer and Zell holding hands in a caf

Squall hadn't known what to do. He had been distraught. Finding Seifer had been logical, but had only confirmed his fears. Seifer hadn't even begged him to stay, but had merely acknowledged that he was in love with Zell.

However, it seemed that perhaps Zell wasn't the person Seifer had been hoping for. Recently, Squall had been getting visits from Seifer, at first they were just friendly chats, sparring sessions at the training centre, going out for a drink at the local bar…

Then it grew, Seifer would come around more often, he'd stop calling before he came round, and he'd sit closer.

Finally he just went for it. Squall had been stupid not to stop him… Now, Zell would no doubt be wondering why Seifer had not come home, why Seifer hadn't called, if Seifer was in trouble. Squall knew those thoughts well, and knew that what was happening between him and Seifer was… wrong…

He no longer loved him. It was just sex.

With that thought, Squall withdrew his hand from Seifer's forehead, staring that the handsome blond before hitting him none too lightly on the arm. It was the only way to wake Seifer up…

"Wha?" He asked sleepily, turning over and taking most of the bed covers with him. Squall didn't mind, it wasn't like there was anyone watching and Seifer had seen it all before. However, he tugged sharply at the covers, wrenching them from Seifer's grasp, before kicking him hard in the small of the back, causing him to fall off the bed.

"What's got into you?" Seifer demanded, rubbing his rump and glaring at Squall. The brunet replied with a cold stare of his own, beating Seifer hands down in coldness.

"Go to Zell. He'll be waiting for you. Forget this ever happened. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't," He said it calmly, as though it had been rehearsed rather than rolling off his tongue. Seifer's expression changed.

"But Squall… I want you…" He said, a slight whine in his voice. The corners of Squall's mouth twitched in a sardonic smile.

"No, you want what you can't have. Go Seifer. I know that Zell loves you, and that deep down, you love him too. You'll be happy with him, if you'll just concentrate on what you have," Squall said as Seifer began to dress, keeping his back to younger man the entire time. There was silence in the room then, and only after Seifer had slammed the door of Squall's dormitory shut, did the brunet let a tear fall down his face.

He may not have loved Seifer anymore, but to have him gone from his life was a big step in the right direction. Like all good things, it was hard to get…

* * *

"Sir… Don't… Please…" Cloud whimpered, as Sephiroth's hands glided over the soft flesh and quivering muscles of his torso…

"Hush Cloud. And why can't you call me Sephiroth, or just Seph? Surely we're on good enough terms now?" Sephiroth purred. The blond turned his head away from those glinting green eyes, Something about Sephiroth made Cloud crumble before him, letting him do whatever he pleased to the blonde's unresisting body.

But he didn't like him. He certainly didn't love him… It was just something physical… But rather than making Cloud feel good about it after, it made him feel disgusted with himself, dirty, unclean…

"I hate you…" Cloud hissed. Sephiroth's hands withdrew.

"What?" The silver haired Commander asked. Cloud stared straight into the eyes of his tormentor and spoke clearly.

"I hate you," He repeated. Sephiroth's expression was guarded, but his eyes held a hint of hurt in them. Cloud kept his head held high, wondering what kind of punishment he was about to receive. Sephiroth ran his hands through his silver hair, green eyes searching the bed they were laid on for something interesting.

"Cloud Strife, SOLDIER, First Class, I am formally relieving you of all duties and obligations. You may appeal against this decision to another First Class SOLDIER Commander if you believe this decision to be biased or unfair in any way…" Sephiroth's voice was formal, curt, despite their current position, with his lain on top of Cloud, one leg between the blonde's knees, adding pressure to his groin.

"You're free Cloud… I've given you all I can… If you ever want to return… Just come to me… You're a good SOLDIER, I just wish I hadn't screwed you up," Sephiroth admitted. Cloud numbly got up… He was… free…

He smiled, flashing pearly teeth, blue eyes filling with tears of joy.

It was like magic words releasing him from a spell…

Cloud sank to his knees and cried with happiness…

* * *

Squall sat in the Garden meeting, thinking about Seifer rather than the topic at hand. He couldn't help it… Zell was there, glaring at him, as though he knew that Seifer had stayed the night with Squall… The brunet wouldn't have been surprised if he did.

"Squall? Are you going to participate?" Quistis asked. Squall yawned, returning to the present.

"Yeah, sorry… What were we talking about?" He asked. Quistis' lips pursed. Rinoa giggled and Irvine ducked out of the way slightly.

"We were talking about SOLDIER! There's only one legion that hasn't been infiltrated by SeeD, and that's Sephiroth's. We have to get someone in there, or we're going to be completely in the dark to what that psychopath is planning!" Quistis' voice was strangely high-pitched.

"Just get hold of his wife, girlfriend, or whatever, and hand her to some anti-SOLDIER movement. I'm sure **Avalanche** would love to meet her," Squall drawled. At that, Zell coughed, gesturing to the large screen at the end of the table. He pressed a button and a bedroom came into view.

"Sir… Don't… Please…" A frightened looking blonde was being pushed against the bed. Sephiroth forced him down, despite the blonde's frightened eyes.

"Hush Cloud. And why can't you call me Sephiroth, or just Seph? Surely we're on good enough terms now?" Sephiroth said. Squall winced, this was painful viewing. Surely Zell couldn't have just told them… However, Squall was finding himself immensely interested in that blonde. He committed the face to memory without any conscious thought… He was beautiful… Squall could understand Sephiroth's desire to own him.

"I hate you…" The venom shook even Squall. Sephiroth seemed to stop, and Squall thought that there must be a problem with the footage until…

"What?"

"Oh, c'mon, it's obvious what he said!" Selphie said, as though this was some pantomime. Squall glared at her.

"He's obsessed with this kid. He's not going to take something like that-"

"I hate you," The SOLDIER, Cloud, repeated. Squall frowned, as Sephiroth looked deep into those Mako eyes.

"Cloud Strife, SOLDIER, First Class, I am formally relieving you of all duties and obligations. You may appeal against this decision to another First Class SOLDIER Commander if you believe this decision to be biased or unfair in any way… You're free Cloud… I've given you all I can… If you ever want to return… Just come to me… You're a good SOLDIER, I just wish I hadn't screwed you up."

The blonde got up, at first it looked like he was going to run from the room. He fell to his knees however, weeping. Sephiroth kept his distance, waiting for the SOLDIER to collect himself.

"Thank you… Seph… I wish I could have been what you wanted of me… I'm not you though… I'm just a shadow of your image and…" The blonde faltered, looking desperately at the door.

"Go, Cloud. There's a whole world waiting for you. I know you always wanted to join SeeD, that you never wanted to be in SOLDIER, that you were forced. You can go now… I'll cover your dismissal as being over something trivial so it doesn't damage your profile. Good luck," Sephiroth opened the door, waiting for Cloud to pass before sagging against it.

He began to cry and Zell paused it.

"He doesn't do anything else of interest for the next few hours. The Cloud person doesn't reappear, so we can only assume he's on his way to the nearest Garden, which is Trabia. We have to make sure that he manages to get into the SeeD exam. If we can get close to him, we can get close to Sephiroth," Zell reasoned. Squall made an involuntary noise in his throat.

"You've got a problem?" Quistis asked.

"Yes. This man just managed to get freedom, not only from a man who was virtually raping him, but also from a military regime that has practically claimed him as a slave. How the hell can you possibly consider sending him back?" The brunet demanded. Rinoa's brow knitted.

"You've never minded about sending people back into their own personal hells before. What's so different about this guy?" She asked slyly. Squall sighed, asking himself the same question.

"I don't know… Probably because… I know what that's like… Just to be a body, no mind, no voice, no free will. It eats you away, until you're nothing. I managed to escape that frame of mind, but that was self-inflicted… This is a whole regime and I don't like it," The scarred man confided. Rinoa nodded her understanding, although her eyes had a mischievous gleam.

"So it would have nothing to do with him being hot and gay?" She asked. Squall looked at her in mock-sincerity.

"No, not at all…"

* * *

Cloud got off the train at Trabia, staring up at the Garden with wide eyes. He had heard that it had been created exactly like the old Cetra City of Quenas-Khan, which had been made of thousands of crystal towers. Trabia was made from glass rather than crystal, and although there were only five towers made from glass, it was still impressive.

The dormitories at the far end were made from a strange white stone that looked suspiciously like quartz… Cloud had never seen anything so beautiful before, not even the majesty of Esthar lived up to this…

Scratch that…

Cloud looked into a pair of storm grey eyes. He was unsure as to what was going on, but a group of people were heading towards him, they held an air of importance. A few of the cadets pointed, or waved. One of the group was waving back, or calling greetings, the others however, were deadly silent and serious.

Cloud however, found himself watching the one in the centre. The guy was definitely gay, it was the way his hand was resting on his hip that gave it away. Cloud didn't miss those things anymore, not since his training in SOLDIER…

The central figure had brown hair, falling down to his shoulder blades. It was cut stylishly into layers to frame his face even when he had it tied back in a ponytail, as he had now… He was wearing a leather jacket, little white wings on the back, and a pair of leather trousers, hugging his hips and ass in a way that made Cloud think dirty thoughts.

He also had belts. Yes, lots of belts… Three across his left thigh, one around his waist band, two slung across his hips, and a long chain hanging down from one on the top of his right thigh to join with one just above his right knee.

Cloud caught the writing on his T-shirt, reading 'The beautiful people, it's all relative to the size of your steeple. You can't see the forest, for the trees. You can't smell your own shit on your knees.'

A smile formed on his face. So they were both fans of Manson too huh?

Sniggering to himself, Cloud made to walk away, to let these important people get on with their business. It wasn't until a hand wrapped around his arm that he actually realised they were there for him.

"Would you like to come with us please?" It was the brunet. Panicking, Cloud wrenched his arm from the man's grasp, backing away with his backpack. He had a sneaking suspicion that Sephiroth might change his mind about relieving Cloud of his duties, and these might be the Turks, come to take him back…

"Just fuck off, okay? I'm free now to do as I damn well please," Cloud spat. The group shared looks, except for the brunet, who simply held out his hand.

"Chief-Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb and Trabia Garden," He introduced himself. Cloud shrank back, timidly shaking hands with someone who was practically a modern day legend…

"Oh Hyne…" Cloud ran his hands through his hair, embarrassed. "This isn't exactly how I wanted to meet you sir…" He said. The Commander just stared at him, a cold indifferent mask that seemed to burn into Cloud's very soul. Feeling uncomfortable under such an intense gaze, Cloud did the one thing he always did when he was nervous.

Placing a hand to the one side of his chin, he pushed to the side and upwards, a nice 'click' sounding. A few of the group cringed, including the Commander.

"Oh, er, sorry…" Cloud apologised. The Commander sighed, gesturing to a bench out of the way. Cloud walked over to it, wiping some of the snow off it with a gloved hand, and sitting down. He grimaced as he felt the water soak through his clothes. The Commander sat beside him, and Cloud cursed him for wearing such practical and alluring leather pants.

"We know who you are and where you came from. We're willing to offer you protection for information," He said bluntly. Alarm bells rang inside Cloud's head, and he stood up, stepping backwards and nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Careful," An extremely tall blonde said, righting him to his feet once more.

"No. I won't do that," Cloud said, as forcefully as he could. It was a problem looking confident surrounded by what were presumably SeeDs and, looking at the size of two of them, definitely physically stronger than Cloud.

"You realise that if you become a member of Garden, we could just force you to do it anyway, don't you?" The tall blonde asked. The Commander scowled.

"Shut up Seifer, this doesn't concern your meddling ass," He spat. Cloud looked up at the tall blonde, Seifer, with wide eyes. This was the bastard that… He quickly stepped away from him, his eyes brimming with hatred.

"You didn't seem to mind my ass that much," Seifer seemingly joked. The younger of the two didn't seem to find this very funny, and just bit his tongue.

"I don't see why I should help you do anything. I can take care of myself. I'm not weak. I can handle the Turks," Cloud lied. The Commander sighed, folding his arms.

"And if Sephiroth came hunting you personally? What then? You'd lay down and play puppy-dog at his feet?" The brunet asked, his tone cold. Cloud clenched his fists, wondering how much they already knew.

"Sephiroth may have granted me freedom but I owe him nothing. I don't come to his beck and call, just like I don't go to yours. I'm free, for the first time since I was seventeen, and I'm going to make the most of it," He told them, trying to walk away. A faint click was heard from behind him. Cloud sighed, he had hoped it wouldn't have come to this.

Pulling off his backpack, he revealed his sword scabbard, drawing the Buster Sword and knocking away the gun before any of them had been prepared for it.

"As I said, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. Now please, I just want to be normal," Cloud pleaded. The Commander met his eyes, and Cloud saw the torment raging in their depths. The inner battle seemed to last eternity.

"I have to act in the interests of the world at large, rather than that of individuals. The President called for aid, however, when he was assassinated, we had no choice but to move into Esthar to stop complete meltdown. It was then we discovered that Sephiroth is planning to resurrect the Sorceress Jenova, and will be using his SOLDIER legion to attack Garden first. We need someone on the inside to make sure we're always two or preferably three steps ahead," The Commander explained. Cloud sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I really can't help you there. Seph didn't tell me anything… I was just… just an underling for him… A little spy looking out for signs of rebellion amongst the troops. A would-be deserter who never quite managed it… I did nothing of import in those kind of circles," Cloud explained. He looked at the Commander, pleading for the man to see the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't sure if the Commander did or not, but Cloud felt reassured for the effort.

"We need you to deal with him in a different way. Not from SOLDIER but from another angle," A tall blonde woman explained. He immediately felt the heat rise to his cheeks. There was no way he was going to deal with Sephiroth that way.

"Please! You don't understand! I can't do that! I c-cant!" His voice broke in his desperation. Surely they wouldn't force this upon him?

"He's right, Quistis. We'll find another way," A beautiful brunette said. The Commander looked at her, his expression filled with a kind of reverence. He inclined his head slightly and she nodded back. Cloud got a cold shiver down hid back, a strange kind of longing filling him.

"Mako withdrawal symptoms," Seifer diagnosed. Cloud blinked, staring at the tall blonde with a strange kind of wonder. How would he know about Mako? That was a top secret…

"Of course you know about the Mako… You've infiltrated SOLDIER…" Cloud mumbled, as though clarifying it for himself.

"Naturally. We have a drug that will help you counteract the effect that Mako has had on your system. However, as soon as it gets at it's worst, I doubt you'll be coherent enough to even take it," The blonde woman, Quistis, said. He felt the shiver again.

"I'll take anything you've got…" He whispered. "I'll try to tell you all I know. I'll give you all the information I already know, but I refuse to go back there," Cloud said forcefully. The Commander sighed.

"If that's the best you can do, then that's the way we'll play this one…"

* * *

Squall looked at the CCTV cameras they'd set up in what would be Cloud's dormitory. Pervy? Slightly. However, no matter how hot Cloud seemed, it could all be some elaborate trap. Sephiroth could somehow have found out that his room was bugged and staged that whole scene to get Cloud over here.

"Don't get too hooked, this isn't Big Brother," Rinoa warned. Squall smiled at her, before staring at the screen. Cloud really wasn't doing much. He unpacked his clothes, revealing nothing important, a few books that were revealed to be various band biographies. Then a guitar had arrived, obviously the blonde had stored that away in the train to be collected later.

For a while, Cloud just arranged things in his room. Then he just stood there.

"What's he doing?" Seifer asked, entering the room. Squall shrugged.

"Standing there…"

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Cloud took a deep breath…

"Whoa…" He said, letting it out. Then he chuckled, it soon turned into an hysterical laugh.

"So… What the hell am I supposed to do now?" He asked himself, sitting on his bed and looking around. It was a novelty to be able to choose what to do, even if it was an immensely hard choice. The other problem was that he knew no one here… That would have to be remedied.

"Music… Gotta break up this damned silence…" Cloud decided, standing up and walking over to his state of the art hi-fi. Of course, in Esthar it had been fairly old technology, but judging from the crap here, Cloud assumed that it would be classed as 'state of the art' here…

A heavy metal guitar riff filled the air.

"Take me down to Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty… Oh won't you please take me home…" Cloud mouthed along, before grabbing a book he was halfway through. It was slightly depressing, but it was written by a guy who'd killed himself… The Kurt Cobain Journals weren't exactly 'light-reading'.

After a quarter of an hour, Cloud sighed, putting the book down and rubbing his temples. He just couldn't help but feel paranoid, he felt like even though he'd managed to get away from SOLDIER, he was still being watched.

He idly flicked his eyes over the room, then he saw it, the little camera. Shaking his head, he got up, detaching the tiny device, no bigger than a penny, and held it up.

"Hello? What can I do for you then?"

* * *

"Hello? What can I do for you then?"

Squall hit his hand against the desk. This wasn't good. Cloud already knew he was being watched…

"You know, you should really just ask if you want a peep show," The blonde continued. Squall put his head in his hands, as Seifer and Rinoa sniggered behind him.

"Well, I'm going to go get some food. If you'd like to meet me there, you can watch me all you like. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not doing anything wrong. Of course, I might sue you for breaking my right of privacy, but I'm sure that a big military organisation like Garden is rich enough to pay compensation, right?"

"Is he threatening us?" Seifer growled. Squall found himself smiling. It certainly seemed that way… This kid, this Cloud, he was certainly different… It was refreshing to have an adversary again, a rival that wasn't Seifer that is…

"I think I'll go pay this SOLDIER a visit. I think even if he doesn't help us nail Sephiroth, he could be a very valuable asset… He reminds me of us, before the war… A little too full of our own self-importance…" Chuckling to himself, Squall stood up, gesturing to Rinoa and Quistis to follow him, and headed to Dormitory 12A – Student ID 789854.

Cloud Strife's room.

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Ending Notes:

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Don't you just love Cloudy? He's so cute and I love him to bits. huggles him Lovely beautiful Cloudy-wowdy…

Ahem…

Squall, you're hot too…

Please review.


	2. Chapter II

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Mercenaries

Chapter Two:

A Little Spark

Author's Notes:

Whoa… I'm not usually one for writing things like this, certainly not with Sephiroth and other characters in it, but it seems to work so well…

In case you didn't get where this fic was going, it's going into a big deep pool of bishie goodness. Yup yup yup! I'm unsure where the whole 'epic plot' will fit in, in fact, I doubt it will, but hey, fluff is what I'm best at. Fluff and angst that is…

Sorry for the patches of OOCness, but I'm used to KH, like I previously mentioned, where characters are often OOC and it's virtually impossible to keep a character the same. I've been told that I bend characters to my plots well, but I'm not too sure about that.

I have a bad history with Sephiroth, that bastard never lets me write him well….

Sorry that this chapter has so much dialogue, it was really annoying but it needed to be done. Squall needs to understand Cloud's past for his future to be decided. Cloud needs to understand Seifer's past to understand a part of Squall so that the bishie numminess can start…

Sora from Kingdom Hearts features in this chapter, if you don't know who he is, search for him on google images. He looks exactly like Cloud except with brown hair. Or at least he would if they were the same age!

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Disclaimer:

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I don't own anything.

Cloud waited by the door, so when the knock came, he just flicked the latch off and opened the door easily. Sure enough, Squall was stood behind the door, looking vaguely amused.

"Very clever," He drawled, before pushing passed the blonde. The two women who had come with him waited at the door. Cloud stepped aside to let them in, glaring at the Commander with as much venom as he could muster for someone so damn hot…

"I thought you might like it," Cloud replied. The brunette from earlier, wearing a long blue cardigan, chuckled.

"He did like it, but he'd have no doubt liked it much more if you'd have had a shower-" She stopped when the Commander threw her a sharp glance.

"Rinoa, keep your damn mouth shut. We're not here for you to play misguided matchmaker. I'm here to offer you a deal. We acknowledge your talents, and are willing to break out own rules to allow you to try to qualify for SeeD. We aren't going to ask you to spy on Sephiroth for us, that will be at your own discretion. However, I ask that you become an instructor immediately after becoming a SeeD. Is that a fair deal?" Squall asked. Cloud blinked, digesting the offer slowly.

The first thing that hit him was that Rinoa was hinting that Squall quite liked Cloud. Then everything else washed over him. He probably would never have accepted the offer if it hadn't been for Rinoa's little 'joke'.

"Yeah, I'll do it, but I want something more. I'm good at sword crap, but on the magic side… I'm a little crap to be honest. A little private tuition would be nice," Cloud fluttered his eyelashes slightly. The Commander raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to stop himself from smiling.

"You wouldn't be trying to make moves on me would you Cloud? If you were than that would be completely against protocol. Commander's aren't allowed to be involved with Cadets," He chuckled. Rinoa and the blonde woman, Quistis was it?, shared a look.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir," Cloud replied. The Commander let out another small chuckle, it was deep, musical and obviously quite rare.

"Good, then you won't mind if I assign Rinoa as your magical instructor. Have a nice day, Cadet," The Commander walked out of the room. Cloud rolled his eyes, but looked at Rinoa.

"Sorceress Rinoa, I presume? It's an honour," He bowed low and looked up at her, examining her face. He had heard about her from other SOLDIERs and heard of her fearsome powers. She was pretty, with a happy face and smiling eyes. She looked motherly more than anything…

"Oh stop that!" She scolded playfully. Cloud straightened, smiling slightly.

"Yes ma'am. So, is he always like that?" The blonde asked. Quistis rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall.

"No. He used to be worse, at least now he has a sense of humour. He likes you. However, be careful, Squall is a complex kind of guy, and he has a very interesting collection of lovers. I'd be careful what you say and do around him. He analyses everything very carefully," Quistis then stood up straight, leaving the room. Cloud looked at Rinoa, who shrugged.

"Quisty doesn't like to see her baby bro get hurt, that's all…" The brunette explained. Cloud frowned at the term 'baby'.

"How old is he?" He demanded. Rinoa smiled slightly.

"Only nineteen… He just had to grow up fast…"

"I don't appreciate you two meddling. I'm not interested in Cloud, so stop your matchmaking now. He is an asset to Garden, but I am not grooming him so I can get into his sheets. Do I make myself clear?" Squall demanded, waiting for Quistis and Rinoa to nod their agreement. The whole gang were together in the 'Senior Instructor's Lounge' at the top floor of one of the glass towers.

"Whatever Squall. You have a crush on him! Admit it! Selphie did already," Rinoa said, gesturing to the girl who was still sulking that the cameras had been removed from Cloud's room. Squall rolled his eyes, but felt jade eyes burning into the back of his neck.

"Go on Squall. Admit it," Seifer challenged. The younger brunet turned to Seifer, his eyes cold.

"Seifer, just shut up. I'm not in the mood to fuck with you right now," He growled. Seifer clenched his fists.

"Oh that's funny, you were last night!" The blonde's voice was angry. Everyone's heads snapped towards the arguing pair of ex-lovers. Zell's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

"You're a bastard Seifer… You knew I still loved you and you used me last night. You left me for my best friend then came back to me because you knew I wouldn't be able to turn you away! Well, I did, didn't I? I kicked you the hell out, so turn your jealous eyes elsewhere. Look at what you have, you ungrateful bastard," Squall's voice was dangerously low. Zell got to his feet, tears shining in his eyes.

"Tell me it's not true…" The tattooed blonde, asked, his voice pleaded. Seifer didn't answer, Instead he turned to Squall, his blue eyes desperately trying to meet Squall's own.

"Tell me you didn't let him cheat on me with you!" Zell's voice was going strangely high pitched.

"Just like you failed to do for me? No, Zell, I'll tell you the truth. Last night, Seifer and I slept together. It was nothing special, it was a physical thing, and it was never going to happen again. Seifer got his little power trip he seems to get from cheating on people, and I got a little bit of a release. That was it. My part in this is over," Squall walked to the door. He let his shoulders sag.

"I'm sorry, Zell," He said clearly, before walking out.

"Sorry I'm late!" Rinoa called. Cloud smiled, getting up from where he was sat on the floor, putting his bookmark in place, before stuffing it in his bag.

"It's alright. It's not like I have anything better to do…" Cloud confided. She quickly threw off her long blue cardigan, to reveal her shapely figure, carefully enhanced by tight knee length shorts with a short denim skirt, and a black strap top. If Cloud had been inclined that way, he would have been extremely happy to be in this woman's company. Guiltily, he found himself wishing it were Squall…

"Of course… Well, What can you already do?" She asked. Cloud thought about it, before picking up his weapon.

"Hang on a second, why have you brought that? This is a magic lesson!" Rinoa said. Cloud frowned, how could you use magic without materia? Materia fit into the slots in the weapons so the user could cast magic... How could magic be used otherwise?

"I'm not sure what you mean… In Esthar we have to equip materia to be able to junction magic," Cloud explained to her. She frowned, before moving closer, examining Cloud's Buster Sword closely. She ran her fingertips over the cool glittering materia, before withdrawing her hand.

"So you have to have these materia things put in the hilt of your sword to be able to use magic and Guardian Forces?" She asked. Cloud sighed, this was going to be a long afternoon.

Squall walked into the training centre with the purpose of venting some of his anger at Seifer on some helpless T-Rexaur. However, when he got there, he saw Cloud and Rinoa, surrounded by various gemstones, laughing as Cloud made a pathetic attempt to cast fire.

"C'mon Cloud! You couldn't even light a cigarette with that!" Rinoa joked. Cloud shrugged, before glancing over his shoulder. He saw Squall and nodded his head, before gathering together the shining things, whatever they were, and putting them in a little pouch on his belt.

"Okay, so you're on your way… Let's see… Let's try an ice spell… Maybe your attributes will be better suited to that…" Rinoa was telling him. He listened as she explained, his face set in some kind of determination.

He took a red shining gemstone out of his sword hilt and slotted in an ice blue one, before concentrating. From the tip of the sword came a shot of ice, a simple icicle, being propelled at a force of one hundred miles an hour. It stuck into a tree two metres away and embedded itself there.

"Doing better already! Let's concentrate on your ice attacks then for now…" Rinoa said. Squall leaned against a tree, watching. Whenever Cloud did something wrong, Rinoa would correct him. Squall thought that the blonde kept glancing over, but it could have just been to check his surroundings before he cast magic.

"Oh, Squall, how long have you been there?" Rinoa asked, finally spotting him. The brunet shrugged, stepping forward.

"Long enough. What's with the rocks?" He asked, picking one up from near his foot. Cloud smiled.

"Surely the Commander of Garden knows what Materia is?" He mocked. Not in the mood for games with people who thought they were smart, Squall merely handed Cloud his 'materia' and waited for an explanation from Rinoa.

"I know we've always assumed that the Estharians could only use magic because of the Sorceress, and when she died, their magic went with it… However, it seems that they've found away to harness Sorceress powers into small gemstones infected with Mako. Combining the planet's lifeblood and the magic means that even those who cannot genetically cast magic, can do so with the help of these… materia… They have even trapped some of the Guardian Forces in them, although the Estharians call them 'Summons'. I think Odine must be behind it all, personally, Shinra would easily have bullied that guy into it…" Rinoa explained. Squall listened intently, before looking down at the stone.

"So if I wanted to cast fire, even though I haven't got any stocked, I could just use this stone and it'd do it for me?" He demanded. Rinoa nodded. Concentrating, Squall thought about his fire spell, and sure enough, three feet in front of him, a fire the size of a campfire started.

"Hm… Not bad. Water," He put it out with a casual flick of his hand. He noticed Cloud's slightly awe-struck gaze, but ignored it. He had to remind himself, he'd sworn off men since Seifer's little comment that morning.

"You're doing that thing again, Squall," Rinoa warned him. Squall came back from his gloomy thoughts to realise he had his hand to his forehead. Idly tracing the pattern of his scar, his other hand on his hip. Quickly withdrawing his hand, Squall sighed.

"I have a lot on my mind today, Ri, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me brood…" He said. She sighed, seeming to be torn between two frames of mind for a second. She seemed to decide and wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking his hair.

"Zell doesn't blame you, you know. He blames Seifer. He knows that you love Seifer, that you would have done anything to have him back… It was Seifer's selfishness that caused this mess, not you. Just leave it alone and everything will be sorted out by tomorrow, you'll see," She assured him. Although Rinoa's embrace was as warm and motherly as always, lulling Squall into his childlike dependency, he didn't want some newbie cadet seeing this side of him.

"You and Seifer Almasy?" Cloud managed to choke out. Squall scowled, what right did this cadet have to pry into his life like that? Rinoa should have waited until he was gone. Squall may have empathised with this blonde pretty boy, but now he just wanted to get away from him. He knew far too much for someone who he had just met.

"What of it?" Squall replied. The older man's face hardened from his shocked expression to one of a cold indifference.

"I just thought that you two were too different… That's all…" He said, and something showed through his voice. Squall picked it up immediately.

"We're very different but very similar. What I want to know, is what difference does it make to you?" The brunet demanded. Cloud's eyes widened, and he turned and ran, his pretty magic stones scattering on the ground.

Seifer and Squall?

The two deadly rivals?

How the hell could they be lovers?

Cloud wasn't sure why he was so upset. He had thought that maybe Seifer had been brought back to Garden for some kind of punishment, but it seemed he'd been forgiven, even by the person who had suffered most due to his arrogant one-mindedness.

"Cloud!" He heard someone yell. Not wanting to turn around, lest the tears finally spill, Cloud bolted for his dormitory.

Seifer, that murdering bastard, the one who had killed his beloved Aerith, his wonderful Tifa, his beautiful Kuja…

He had been forgiven and all he had done had been forgotten…

"Cloud! Open the door!" Someone called. Cloud just curled into a ball on his bed, sobbing into his pillow. It had finally hit home.

No matter where he went, his past would always find him and trap him. He was never free…

But Squall and Seifer…

Squall and Seifer…

Somehow, that drove the wound even deeper. Someone who Cloud had thought was quite hot suddenly appeared like a monster. So similar to Seifer, yet so very different. He was guilty of different crimes. He had pardoned a murdering evil wretch, allowed himself to be polluted by his disgusting poison and let all those back in Esthar who had lost so many friends and family members be left with no way of getting their revenge for what had been done to them…

Well, Cloud would get revenge for them…

Squall wasn't sure what had happened to Cloud, but he had no doubt that the blonde would turn up somewhere. Someone whose eyes glowed bright blue weren't hard to miss…

"I'm worried about him… I know we haven't seen him since the start of the Sorceress War, but I would have at least thought he'd have been glad to see us," A pretty blonde girl was walking past with another girl, who was tall and albino. Squall could have sworn she was Fujin wearing more revealing clothes, but kept his mouth shut. The two cadets saw him and saluted. He did the same, and they were about to go on their way when…

"His last letter said something terrible had happened to him… Cloud doesn't use words like that lightly," The albino said. Squall about turned, quickly catching up with them.

"Did you just mention Cloud Strife?" He demanded. The two looked at each other, nodding.

"You had better come with me."

In the 'Senior Instructor's Lounge' Squall gestured for the two girls to sit down. Seifer and Zell were still up there, so was Rinoa and Selphie.

"Oh, hiya Rikku!" Selphie said, waving frantically. Squall rolled his eyes, addressing the albino mostly.

"Tell me about Cloud Strife," He demanded. The albino turned her red eyes to him, seeming to think about her reply carefully.

"Paine Mazuki, SeeD Level 15. He was a First Class SOLDIER, however he is here now. He has suffered a great many injustices and has been robbed of many opportunities from a young age. In his desperation he joined SOLDIER, however he hated it. After escaping, Rikku and I came here from Balamb to look for him. He wouldn't answer his door," Paine said. Squall pursed his lips, this girl was good. She wasn't about to spill any of Cloud's secrets without the right questions.

"Elaborate for us," Rinoa put forward. Paine looked at her.

"His parents were abusive, and he was slung out onto the streets at an early age. He was taken onto an orphanage, travelling by sea. There he met some other children, one was adopted with him, as his sister, her name was Aerith Gainsborough. Once at his new home, a bitter clerk at the registry office renamed him from his previous last name to 'Strife'. He made many friends, the one closest to him being a girl named Tifa Lockhart. His life began to pick up, he became lovers with another guy, named Kuja… However, it was all short-lived. The Sorceress War took everything from him. All he had left was a few pictures and a sword…" Paine's eyes bored into Seifer's so the blonde beside her took over.

"Rikku Highwind SeeD Level Fourteen, though not from lack of trying. Cloud decided to join SOLDIER, because he idolised Sephiroth. He didn't just want to be like him, he really believed he could replace him. But things went wrong. Cloud hated it, he hated Sephiroth even more. He sought other dreams, other realities to be in. He began to idolise you, sir, but this time he was more realistic. He wanted to get to Garden, he believed somehow, that he could get revenge from there, revenge on the people who had caused him so much pain..." Rikku stopped her little explanation, looking at Paine. The albino continued, however, choosing her words a little better.

"He wanted to hurt people… In the end all he's hurting is himself. We told him again and again that Garden is not the path for those who just seek for power for their own agendas, but he wouldn't listen. He was so desperate to get away from SOLDIER. The last we heard from him he was on his way here. So we came. After that, you will have to tell us," Paine waited patiently for some kind of explanation.

"So that's it…" Squall said, clicking his fingers. "He wanted revenge on Seifer and Sephiroth. He didn't want to be working from the inside, he wanted to be leading a front line into battle…" He looked at Seifer, to see the blonde rubbing his eyes.

"You know what I'm going to ask you to do Seifer. Just get on with it," Squall got to his feet. "There'll be intervention if it looks like either one of you is going to get killed."

"Geez, that just fills me with self-confidence…"

Cloud heard a soft knock on his door. He sniffed, getting up, wondering who the hell it would be. He opened the door to see the Commander, with a solemn expression on his face.

"May I come in?" He asked. Cloud nodded, stepping out of the way and letting the brunet in. He'd never seen the Commander look so lost before… It was strange.

"I want to explain something to you. If you still feel the same way after, then please, go kick the hell out of Seifer," He began. Cloud's eyes widened. How the hell did they know about that?

"You have two very good friends looking for you by the names of Rikku and Paine. They will drop by later," Squall explained. Cloud's eyes lit up. Paine and Rikku were here? That crazy couple always made him feel better. It was a shame that Yuna couldn't make it…

"I want to explain the Sorceress War to you, not from the public point of view, but from the point of view of someone who was there and lived through every major event there…" The brunet looked into Cloud's eyes.

"So you know my story, now you're going to tell me yours?" He asked. Squall shrugged.

"Not really. I'm telling you what we all know of Seifer's story. The reason why he hasn't been executed, the reason he isn't locked up, the reason why he's been accepted as the Commander of Galbadia Garden," The brunet ran his hands through his hair, before yanking the hair band out of his pony tail, finger-brushing it.

"I guess I should start from the very beginning, but that would take up too much time. Let's say that Seifer and I grew up together in an orphanage and were never adopted, so we became the first students at Garden. I won't explain how that came to be, that's something between Edea, myself and the previous headmaster," Squall sat down on the bed, and without conscious thought, Cloud followed suit.

"We were constantly fighting. Now I know why. Seifer always wanted my attention, my acknowledgement that he had done something well. I assumed he was just an attention seeker, but he was only after my attention. I refused to give it to him. Eventually, he grew to realise that he actually loved me, but by then, he was convinced that I hated him. He was actually quite right."

"However, when we became SeeDs, things got out of hand. Seifer was dating a girl named Rinoa, who is now a Sorceress, but she chose me. I showed interest in her, so Seifer had to do something terribly outrageous to yank back the attention. He kidnapped the President of Galbadia…"

"Edea offered him a way to escape the death sentence, if he came with her. I know that the real Seifer would have just died for what he had done. However, this new Seifer just handed himself over. I knew then that something wasn't right… Seifer was a thrill seeker, he would have runaway or stood and fought. You could have said he was almost primitive in his thinking, but that is how he was."

"What I'm trying to say is that although, somehow, it was Seifer, it also wasn't. Seifer's memories, his words, his face, but the real Seifer was asleep inside him. He didn't remember a single thing he had done. He was found, washed up in Fisherman's Horizon, wondering how he had got there and where the President had gone…"

"He turned up in Balamb, after being told through beatings and rude gestures, what he had done. I took him in and cared for him, explaining things to him. Somewhere along the line, I began to fall-" Squall stopped abruptly. Cloud raised his eyebrows, as the Commander seemed to collect himself.

"He's not a bad person. Selfish and arrogant, yes, but evil, no. I'm explaining this to you now, before you go to the training centre to fight him. He's waiting there, ready to take a beating for your lost loved ones. He has long since accepted that he majority of the world cannot forgive him. He lets them come, try their luck, but they never manage to beat him. It's you turn, do you want to be the one who kills him?" Squall asked. Cloud thought about it all.

It hadn't been Seifer. He wasn't evil. He was just insecure. But he was still responsible.

"I will fight him, but I won't kill him," Cloud said firmly. The corners of Squall's mouth twitched.

"Confident," He commented. Cloud smiled back.

"Absolutely."

Seifer was waiting against the electric fence of the training centre, obviously the electricity didn't bother him. Cloud committed this to memory, don't use Thunder attacks because he's immune. He drew his sword, this small movement attracted Seifer's attention.

Seifer regarded him for a moment, then looked behind him to Squall. Cloud resisted the urge to look at the Senior Commander as well, instead he concentrated on Seifer. He slotted his most powerful materia into his blade, before getting into the 'ready' stance.

"Begin."

"Cloud! No!"

"Oh poopie! We got here too late!"

Cloud ignored the two voices of Rikku and Paine. He instead concentrated on dodging the continual string of electricity attacks heading his way. Deflecting one with his sword, Cloud concentrated on his magic.

"Thunder… Opposite of Thunder… Earth! I can earth him!" Cloud muttered to himself, hurriedly thinking about the summon. He might not be able to do magic spells, but he could summon monsters.

"Brotherly Love!" The voice echoed down, as a purple monster appeared. Cloud faded into the background and watched as a disembodied figure as Seifer took vast amounts of damage from the simple attack.

"Grr! Okay, you little twerp, you're observant. Let's see you dodge this though! Thundaga!" Cloud felt the electricity converge around him. Bracing himself, he felt the electricity move through him. He cried out as he felt his chest constrict. The electricity passing over his heart… If it continued…

"Seifer! Stop that!" He heard someone yell. Cloud felt the electricity leave him, but he couldn't breathe. His chest hurt so badly… He tried to get a breath but short gasps and grunts of pain were all he was capable of.

"For God's sake! Help him!" Someone cried. Cloud was vaguely aware of someone carrying him, warm arms cradling him as they ran… He closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. With a strange kind of calm he knew that if he didn't manage to breathe soon he'd die.

"Hold on, for Hyne's sake, hold on…" The person whispered into his hair. Cloud tried to reply that he was alright. Even the burning in his lungs from lack of air was fading now. Like his vision. Everything was just peacefully fading…

"Cloud! Snap out of it! You've dealt with worse than this!" Another voice, a woman's…

"Hear that Cloud. They need you… Just breathe…" The voice was hissing desperately. He felt himself being put down, hands pressing down on his chest, lips against his own, desperately getting his chest to relax.

"What's going on?"

"He's of an ice attribute. Seifer used Thundaga and…"

"Move out of the way Squall. You had the right idea, but we're going to need something a little bit more scientific to get him out of that. Out, all of you."

Peaceful oblivion welcomed Cloud with open arms…

"What part of 'go easy on him' didn't you get?" Squall yelled. He felt nervous, scared, worried, almost foreign emotions to him. What the hell had Cloud done to him?

"How the hell was supposed to know he had extremely low Thunder tolerance? No one told me!" Seifer replied back. Rinoa stood between the two, trying to play peacekeeper. Paine and Rikku had been sent to go and find Zell to drag Seifer away from Squall, before the brunet throttled him.

"Seifer, I told you to only use basic magic. What's basic about Thundaga?" He demanded. Seifer glared at him, before getting into Squall's face. Seifer knew how much Squall hated someone invading his personal space, and knew that this would almost scare the brunet.

"It's not just my fault that your little crush has got himself hurt. You could have stopped him fighting. If you had prevented it in the first place, then the pretty boy wouldn't have even been there!" Seifer poked his finger into Squall's chest. The Commander saw red, clenching his fists.

"Get. The. Hell. Away. From. Me," He said, the rage burning in his usually stoic eyes apparent. His anger with Seifer wasn't just about the incident with Cloud. It was years worth of anger, merely resurfacing. He tried to push it down, but when Zell appeared with Rikku and Paine, Squall couldn't contain his anger anymore.

"You did that to him! You knew he was having lessons because he wasn't too good at magic and with complete disregard for any semblance of chivalry you attacked him. What if he dies Seifer? More blood on your already stained hands?" Squall spat, almost immediately knowing he'd gone too far. Zell grabbed Seifer, tackling him to the floor to stop him from trying to rip Squall limb from limb with his bare hands.

"Stop it!" Zell said firmly, from his position straddling Seifer's waist, holding the blonde's hands above his head.

"Zell, get off me. Let me kill the stoic bastard!" Seifer growled. Squall rubbed his temples, this wasn't what he needed right now. Seifer always brought out the worst in him…

"No! Forget Squall and pay attention to me!" Zell's words stunned Seifer into silence. It worked on two different levels and the Commanders were unsure which one it was meant to be.

"Come one, let's go home," Zell said, referring to the senior's small chalet-like housing on the opposite end of the garden. Seifer nodded, and when Zell got off him, he stood up, helping the smaller blonde to his feet also. They walked off together, even though Squall was fairly sure he was going to hear more on that later.

The Medic, Doctor Shelinda, walked out of the infirmary, smiling broadly.

"He's awake. He wants to talk to you, Squall," She said warmly, her eyes twinkling with a girlish gleam. She obviously thought that there was something behind Cloud's innocent request to see the Garden Commander. Although Squall was often in the infirmary for something or other, he had never really got used to Shelinda, he much preferred the motherly Doctor Kadowaki…

Walking into the infirmary, Squall smelt the strong scent of Thunder magic, which he hadn't noticed before. Shelinda sniffed it too, before sitting at her desk. She gestured to the room where the beds were, letting Squall go in alone.

Cloud was lain on the bed, topless with a mask over his face to aid him in his breathing. His breath was a little gasping but he seemed to be holding up fine. Squall sat down on the chair near his bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. It was regular, there was nothing to be severely scared about…

The Mako blue eyes opened and met the storm of Squall's own, and for a moment, Squall thought he had been struck by a Thunder spell. His chest seemed to constrict, but at the same time, his heart raced, something must have been wrong with him.

A nice scent floated in from the main room… Squall swallowed, trying to tear his eyes away from those cerulean pools. They made him uncomfortably comforted.

"Aren't you going to ask if I'm alright?" Cloud asked, breaking the moment, to Squall's relief. The young Commander merely nodded.

"Geez, talkative. Yeah, I've been better, but I'm good. My pride is a little injured, but I accept the fact he is a far better fighter than I am, and I would have lost anyway," Cloud reasoned. Squall just nodded again, sitting there in silence.

He wasn't sure how to describe to the blond how worried he had been. Cloud would probably freak out… Squall decided not to tell him that, but instead, he decided to tell him something else.

"I'll have your SeeD exam set for three days time. Meet Rinoa, who'll be your mage and medic and Instructor Selphie, who'll be your observer at the main hall at 8am sharp. I'll see you at the briefing," Squall thought he detected a pout on Cloud's face. Smirking slightly, he thought of something really evil to do.

He leaned forward, gently removing Cloud's mask, brushing his lips against the startled blonde's own and rejoicing when he responded, hands getting entangled in Squall's long brown hair. The blonde let out a startled moan when Squall's hand slipped down the front of the sheets, his teasing touch making the blonde underneath him go wild.

In reality, away from his own erotic daydreams, Leon just stood up, smirking to himself, and walked out. Cloud was nothing short of unnerved.

Sephiroth sat in his room, staring at the opposite wall.

He had let Cloud go, now he had nothing… He had no one here to make his job worthwhile… Sephiroth hadn't believed in love until Cloud had come along, immediately intoxicating his superior officer with his amazingly carefree attitude and the most beautiful eyes, even thought they were tainted by Mako…

Damn… He'd been a goddamned angel and Sephiroth had let him leave.

Perhaps, like an angel, he should never have been trapped in a cage?

"Sephiroth sir!" A SOLDIER, one of Heidigger's Third Class officers, burst into the room. Sephiroth looked up from his reverie with a hint of anger gracing his features. The SOLDIER stood to attention.

"I have a report from Reno from the Turks, sir!" The SOLDIER announced. Sephiroth rolled his eyes. It was a Turks message, was it? Why on Earth should he care what the Turks wanted? They reported directly to President Rufus, why would they bother with him?

"Continue," Sephiroth said, standing up to get a glass of water.

"Reno says that they tracked an officer of yours, Cloud Strife, all the way to Trabia Garden. Once there he was approached by none other than the Commander, Squall Leonhart, and the rest of the Elite Squad of Garden. Since then, it seems that he's disappeared into the Garden protection network. Reno believes he was an informant working from the inside. Reno says that he personally heard the Commander try to convince him to come back to spy on you. He asks for your permission to discourage Cloud from telling Garden anything," The officer reported.

Sephiroth had frozen, his hand under the running tap, the glass overflowing. Cloud had been an informant for Garden? That was impossible… Cloud couldn't possibly have been working on two sides… Could he? And Sephiroth had been stupid enough to give him freedom to run back?

"Reno said to add that Cloud and the Commander seemed to be very friendly. It seemed to him that they were making eyes at each other…" The SOLDIER added. Sephiroth clenched his hand around the glass, shards of glass went everywhere, some into Sephiroth's palm, although he didn't notice.

"Make sure he tells no one," Sephiroth ordered. The SOLDIER saluted, before leaving.

Sephiroth was numb for a second, before realising what he had done. He fell to his knees, blood running from under his leather glove, down his arm. He'd just ordered the death of the one he loved…

Tears running down his face, Sephiroth eyed Masamune thoughtfully. Discarding the idea, he knelt there on the floor with the dim realisation that he would never see Cloud again, and it would be his entire fault.

Sora chuckled, he doubted even Riku would recognise him with his new bleached hair. Blonde didn't really suit him, but it was necessary for the SeeD mission. He saw Riku and waved, jogging up to his boyfriend with an air of joy.

"Whoa, I didn't recognise you with the new hairdo!" Riku exclaimed, embracing him and giving him a quick kiss on the temple. They weren't supposed to be out this late after curfew.

"C'mon, we have to go to the 'Secret Place'!" Sora laughed, pulling Riku along. Chuckling also, Riku let Sora pull him along, silver hair trailing behind him. Once there, they realised they were alone in the 'Secret Place'.

It wasn't really secret as such, more as a place that the Disciplinary Committee ignored and the Instructors all avoided. It was the make-out place, the place for couples to go, or people who couldn't sleep to meet other's like them. It was unusual for it to be empty…

"Why are we here Sora?" Riku asked, grouchily. He had been hoping to finally get the chance to spend the night in Sora's dormitory. In his opinion, a year was long enough to wait for the boy.

"I wanted to tell you something," Sora whispered. Riku raised his eyebrows.

"What?" He asked. There was silence for a while, and then Sora stood on his tiptoes to kiss the elder boy, a gentle chaste kiss that was so sweet, so Sora, so perfect that Riku felt himself fill with elation.

"Hello Cloud," Someone said. The two broke apart, looking around them to find a man dressed in a suit smirking at them. Riku was about to ask who he was, when a loud bang ran through the air. At first Riku wasn't sure what it was, but then he saw Sora falling beside him in slow motion, almost.

The gunman was gone already, melting into the darkness as though he was a part of it. Riku caught Sora, watching helplessly as the younger boy's face contorted in pain.

"Oh my god! Sora!" He yelled, trying desperately to get some kind of response from the boy. Surely it had only got his leg…

But Riku pulled a knife out of his boot, cutting through Sora's clothes to reveal the gunshot to have been in true aim. Straight through the left side of his torso, piercing a lung and probably Sora's heart as well…

"Riku…" Sora managed to cough… Blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. Riku quickly put his finger to the boy's lips, trying to get him to save his strength until someone came, someone must have heard the gunshot. Doctor Shelinda would be here any minute…

"Save your strength…" Riku whispered, brushing hair from Sora's face. The boy chuckled.

"There's no point… I have to tell you… I have to tell you…" Sora's face contorted once more in pain, and he writhed in Riku's grasp. His blue eyes shot open, they were so rare, so beautiful, so very blue, almost glowing in the moonlight…

"…that I love you…" Sora finished his sentence. His body shuddered, and then was still. His chest didn't rise and fall any longer. His eyes remained open, sightless…

"No… No Sora, you can't leave me! SORA! I love you too! I'm sorry I pressured you into sex! I'm so sorry… I was selfish… Just don't leave me… Please… Don't leave…" Riku pulled the body close to him, kissing those quickly cooling lips, trying to get Sora to respond.

He was waiting for Sora to blink and take a huge gasp, yelling, "Only kidding! It was a good joke though, wasn't it?" but the boy didn't stir… He just lay there, still as the night around him. Riku let out a long wailing keen, tears spilling down his cheeks onto the cold body that was Sora…

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Ending Notes:

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I hated writing Sora's death, I love Sora and I wish I hadn't done that, however… It's vital to the plot line… See, the Turks think that Cloud's dead. An interesting turn of events for Sephiroth, no?

Coming up in the next chapter, Cloud's SeeD exam!

Please review!!


	3. Chapter III

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Mercenaries

Chapter Three:

SOLDIER To SeeD

Part One

Author's Notes:

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I'm glad someone got the chapter name of the last chapter. 'A Little Spark' didn't just refer to the Thunder spell, it also referred to Squall and Cloud's growing attraction to each other, the spark of anger between Seifer and Squall, and perhaps least obviously, it was Sora's own little spark, that was extinguished so brutally…

Thank you for reading.

1 Eye popping slowly blinking when looking into someone's eyes. The body language indicates seduction or being willingly seduced.

2 Aoife pronounced Ah-oh-ife with the –ife as in life. Means 'Life'.

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Playlist whilst writing this: The Reason – Hoobastank, The Neon Handshake – Hell Is For Heroes

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Disclaimer:

__

Me no own.

Cloud heard the gunshot and decided to investigate. He knew that people often went to the Training Centre late at night, so he wasn't quite expecting what he saw.

He had wandered through to the back of the training centre, finally coming to a place that was sealed off from the rest but still fairly accessible. Behind that electric fence, a boy, no older than seventeen, sat, cradling another boy in his arms…

In that darkness that boy looked almost like Cloud himself…

"No… No Sora, you can't leave me! SORA! I love you too! I'm sorry I pressured you into sex! I'm so sorry… I was selfish… Just don't leave me… Please… Don't leave…" The silver haired teen was sobbing. He tried to engage the still blonde in a kiss, but it was too late… This Sora was gone…

The boy let out a long wail of despair, Cloud knew he'd have to climb the fence. Despite his immense fear of electricity, despite the warnings that he'd been given by the doctor about going near electricity… Cloud climbed the fence. The little bubbles of electricity were uncomfortable but not unbearable.

"Hey kid, what happened?" Cloud asked, jumping down from the top of the fence. The silver haired boy turned, his green eyes widening.

"Please help me! He was shot! Some guy in a suit appeared in the darkness and shot him. He must be unconscious or something!" The boy cried frantically. Cloud walked forward, looking down at the dead boy, his heart heavy with guilt.

He knelt down, brushing hair from the boy's face. He looked at the place where blood had stained the boy's torso and knew, there was nothing Cloud could do for Sora. He was gone… His main concern now was getting this other boy, who Cloud noted looked quite a bit like Sephiroth, into the safety of the main hall of Garden.

"Okay, we're going to get Sora some help, okay?" Cloud said, knowing that telling the boy that his friend, or boyfriend, was actually dead wasn't the way to keep the boy purpose driven.

"Okay… My name's Riku," The boy introduced himself. Cloud nodded.

"Cloud," He replied. Riku's eyes widened slightly.

"The guy who shot Sora was looking for Cloud… Sora just dyed his hair for a mission, see… He was moaning about dying it blonde. He looks just like you sir. They must have mistaken him for you!" Riku said, jumping to the conclusion. Cloud just ran his hands through his hair, picking up the dead weight of Sora.

"Lead the way," He ordered Riku, who proudly lead him through a gap in the fence. Cloud would have been disgruntled if he hadn't been so worried about how he was going to break it to Riku that his friend was dead, and that he, Cloud, was the cause…

They headed to the Infirmary, where Cloud lay the dead boy onto a bed, and watched as Riku instinctively drew near to him, taking the boy's cold hand and grasping it tightly. As though he could drag Sora back from the dead…

"What's all the noise about? Cloud, what are you doing up?" Shelinda asked, yawning sleepily. It was then that she saw Sora, lying on the bed with a face as pale as snow, red wine blood staining the sheets. His lips were blue, his eyes glossy, his skin cold. How could Riku not think he was dead?

"Not Sora…" Shelinda's eyes filled up with tears. "Not Sora! No no no! This is all wrong! Sora was one of the best medics, he showed amazing magical potential… Hyne, why couldn't you have spared him?" Shelinda sobbed into Cloud's shoulder. Riku's eyes widened.

"What are you saying?" He demanded. Cloud himself felt rather choked up, there was no way to say this gently.

"Sora's gone, Riku. He was gone before I found you. I needed to get you here, out of danger. Please understand that," Cloud said gently. The silver haired boy's eyes filled with anger, hurt, and betrayal.

"You lied to me! You're the reason he's dead!" Riku yelled, tears spilling down his cheeks. Cloud pried Shelinda from his shoulder, tipping her chin so he could whisper into her ear.

She left hurriedly, going to get Squall. Cloud was left alone with Sora's lifeless form and his angry boyfriend.

"Yes, you're right on both accounts. Now, you can kill me now, and never know why, or you can kill me later, and know why Sora was shot tonight. Are you willing to bide your time?" Cloud asked. Riku took a few steps forward, then grief overcame him, and he fell into Cloud's arms, tears streaming steadily down his face. Cloud sat down in a chair, Riku on his knee, stroking the boy's hair consolingly.

"I was in SOLDIER. You may have heard about it. While I was there, my Commanding Officer, Sephiroth, fell in love with me. He used his power to abuse me, rape me, and do whatever the hell he wanted, because if I complained it was more than my life was worth. He finally let me go, but he seems to have changed his mind. No doubt the person you saw was a Turk, President Shinra's henchmen. They thought Sora was me, in the dark he does look rather like me, and shot him… Only they think they shot me, no doubt…" Cloud realised that the boy had fallen asleep. Cloud realised how emotionally drained he was, but he knew he had to pass on the story to Squall when he arrived.

Sure enough, Squall was there, dressed in jogging pants and an old T-shirt. He seemed to travel no where without someone else, as Seifer was there too. I felt jealousy rise in me when I thought that maybe Seifer had been with him all along, but I kept it down…

"Sora's dead," I said, none too gently. "He was mistaken for me, probably by Reno, they wouldn't have sent anyone less for a First Class Officer. This boy here is Sora's boyfriend or something along those lines. They were probably sharing some kind of romantic evening. Anyway, the fact remains that Riku needs Garden's protection. The Turks are very thorough in their assassinations…" Cloud's eyes drifted to the sleeping boy, who was nuzzling his neck. He felt a little bit of warmth coming from the boy being so close…

He felt responsible for the boy now, he supposed. He was determined to help Riku get over this tragic loss of someone very special to him… Even if he was unnerved at how much Riku looked like Sephiroth… And Sora looked like him…

"This is one hell of a mess…" Squall ran his hands through his hair, his eyes looking up and down Sora.

"I taught this kid…" Seifer grunted. Cloud turned his blue orbs up to Seifer's green ones, and saw the grief in them. He looked at Sora once more.

"He tried so hard to keep up with the other kids. He was so clumsy… You remember his SeeD exam? Hell, anything that boy did… But he had the will that drove him higher than all of them… In time he managed to get even better than those who were naturally gifted… Damn, he'd just turned sixteen!" Seifer hit the doorframe, the vibrations and the loud bang disturbing Riku from his sleep.

He sat up, blearily looking around. His eyes met Cloud's and he made a small smile, before looking over at Sora's form.

"I was hoping it was all a bad dream…" Riku confided, then his eyes turned to the two Commanders, stood side by side at the door. His eyes widened and he got to his feet from Cloud's knee. He was about to salute, but Squall shook his head.

"Don't bother. I'm not a Commander at the moment, just someone that's got to tell Sora's parents he was murdered… Is there any way we can catch the killer?" He addressed Cloud, whose fists were clenched.

"Not unless you're going to kill me. How could I have been so stupid? Of course Sephiroth's just on some crazy power trip! Ugh… He never really let me go, he just grew bored of me… How was I stupid enough to put Garden in Sephiroth's firing line…" Cloud hissed, summing up the situation. SOLDIER had killed one of their SeeDs, therefore it was only fitting that Garden retaliate… Creating a war that would be similar in devastation to the Sorceress War two years ago…

"It's not your fault. You didn't give the order to have yourself assassinated…" Riku said softly, although his eyes were shining strangely in the light. Cloud assumed he was crying still, although in the moonlight it was hard to see properly.

"I guess this confirms that you're not one of Sephiroth's spies…" Squall said, more to himself than to anyone else. Cloud's brow knitted, he tried to glare, only to find that to be honest, he was too overwhelmed with so many other emotions at the moment that he couldn't even muster any anger for his 'sarcastic' retort.

"Oh yeah, I'm on the raping bastard's side. Of course I am. That would make sense…" He sagged against the wall. Riku. Sora and Seifer just stared at each other. Squall then moved forward, moving with a sleepy kind of grace, and he pushed Cloud's face into the moonlight, with a carefully placed hand under his chin.

"You're crying," He said quietly. Cloud laughed a mocking, bitter laugh.

"Am I? It's not surprising, I'm weak… I always have been… That's why Sephiroth picked on me…" Cloud mumbled. Squall withdrew his hand, leaving Cloud's face tilted away from everyone, moonlight accenting the tears steadily falling down his face.

"Shelinda," Squall looked over his shoulder. "Get Sora cleaned up for his parents arriving." He then glanced at Riku. "Will you be alright to be alone tonight?"

"He can stay with me," Cloud said quickly. Riku smiled appreciatively, but it still held the hint of sadness…

"Thank you," The silver haired boy said, allowing Cloud to steer him out of the Infirmary. Cloud thought he caught a little scowl on Squall's features, but he ignored it, concentrating his efforts on making everything up to Riku.

"The situation was strange, sir," Reno reported to Sephiroth. He noted that the Chief Commanding Officer of Soldier had seen better days. If anything, Sephiroth looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks… Well, it was none of Reno's business really.

"Elaborate," Sephiroth said pompously with a wave of his hand. Reno leaned against the wall, despite his formal tone, he and Sephiroth knew that they were both equals. If Sephiroth pissed off the Turks, he was as good as dead, no matter how good he was with that bastard of a sword, he couldn't dodge bullets, or reject poison, or keep watch for little 'accidents' all the time could he?

"Well… Cloud was in the 'secret area'. He arrived with… another… Sir, the kid looked like you. HE could pass as your double, he had the green eyes, silver hair, pale skin, everything… They appeared to be a couple. What was said between them, I don't know, but I shot Cloud in the heart, it was fitting I thought, for him to die that way. He always was going on about having too many emotions for the military. So, he was dead within the minute. The kid who looked like you has gone into protection, as expected, but he didn't see me all that clearly, we'll escape any major implications," Reno reported. Sephiroth stopped drumming his fingers against his desk, dark eyes surveying the Turk.

"He is most definitely dead?" The silver haired man asked. Reno smirked as he nodded, somehow he knew that this was the greatest wound Sephiroth had ever had. Although Reno admitted that he could never fathom the enigmatic Chief Officer, he was pretty sure that Cloud and he had been lovers… Or maybe not lovers more like close friends… Well, it was the cold bastard's fault after all…

"Well done, Reno. I will speak to President Shinra about your services to your country. Dismissed," The Commander turned around in his chair to look out of the large window. Reno turned on his heel but paused at the door, hand on the knob.

"I want you to know… Cloud's death was unfortunate, but quick. He was not in pain long. I did my best for him, sir. He was a damn good SOLDIER, he deserved it," Reno didn't wait for Sephiroth's reply, before pushing through the door and closing it behind him.

Inside the office Sephiroth stared over the skyline of Esthar City… Out there was Tear's Point… The place of grief… He would place flowers there on one of Pandora's Towers…

"Oh Cloud… I'm so sorry… Please from wherever you are, forgive me… Forgive me…"

"Sorry the room isn't all that big… In fact, it's minute, but as long as you want to stay, it's yours as much as it is mine," Cloud said good-naturedly. Riku smiled weakly, sitting down on Cloud's bed. Immediately the blonde saw a problem.

No. Couch.

Now he knew why Squall had been so suspicious. They would be sharing beds. How stupid? Ugh…

"You've just realised there's only one bed…" Riku said, and his voice sounded a little lighter than it had done previously. Cloud smiled guiltily.

"Yeah…" He said. Riku bit his lip, glancing down at the bed.

"I could always sleep on the floor?" They suggested in unison. Blinking at each other in the harsh florescent lights that were fitted as standard in the dorm rooms, a laugh escaped their lips. It was short and afterwards, both felt slightly guilty, but Cloud noticed how wonderful Riku looked when he laughed…

"As long as you have no objections, I think we should both take the bed. We'll be cramped, but… Well, there's no other way to do it…" Riku suggested. Cloud shrugged, then gestured to Riku's blood stained clothes. The silver haired boy looked down at himself and his shoulders began to shake.

"Please give me something else to wear… But don't put these to be washed… I want to keep them…" He pulled off his top, revealing a muscular chest, all traces of teenage puppy fat removed by harsh training, unlike Sora… Who had the gut of childhood still… the chubby face of someone about to come of age…

"Sure," Cloud said, drawing his eyes away. This boy had just lost the one he loved, the last thing he needed was Cloud drooling. Cloud quickly wiped his chin just in case, as he walked to his wardrobe and picked out a pair of joggers and an old T-shirt. Riku took them and disappeared into the bathroom to change. Cloud took this opportunity to quickly change from his jeans to a pair of loose shorts, realising he'd given his only comfy 'pyjama' T-shirt to Riku, he just pulled of his top, crawling under the sky blue custom sheets of Garden. Riku shortly joined him, putting out the light before slipping into bed.

The bed was too small and the people in it were soon overheating. Cloud couldn't sleep, his head was spinning. He felt a slight pressure against his side, a muffled apology, and then more silence except for the boy's gentle breathing. The only way that Cloud could stop himself falling into the gutter with thoughts of Riku was if he thought of him as a boy, not as a man…

However, just looking on the boy's face in the moonlight…

Cloud drew back, his eyes glazing over… He looked so much like Sephiroth… That peaceful look, like that of a sleeping tiger… The steady breathing with the occasional whimper of someone with a troubled history…

Had Sephiroth really ordered someone to kill Cloud? It seemed unlikely but at the same time, Cloud couldn't convince himself that it was beyond Sephiroth's cruelty. He was confused, wondering whether or not Reno knew he had killed the wrong person. Surely he had listened to what the two were saying to each other?

Cloud blinked as he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder, looking down his saw Riku's eyes were closed but his brow was furrowed in his troubled sleep. He moved closer to Cloud, pushing himself against the blonde's side, his head resting on Cloud's shoulder.

Sighing, Cloud propped himself up against the headboard and let Riku get some sleep against his chest… Glad to offer some comfort, even if the boy was asleep, Cloud drifted into a deep slumber, his head dropping onto Riku's own…

"Squall, it's six am, either explain yourself or get the hell out!" Zell growled, then he saw Seifer behind the brunet Commander and his eyes widened.

"Don't jump to conclusions before you hear everything," Squall cut through before Zell had a chance to explode. He understood the guy's jealousy but it was beginning to grate on his nerves. He wasn't involved with Seifer anymore, if anything, he wanted to be involved with that hot little blonde a few doors down with those Mako eyes and…

"Ahem…" Seifer cleared his throat, drawing Squall from his own thoughts, pointedly staring at the livid Zell. Sighing, Squall ran his hand through his hair. It wasn't his fault, he was feeling quite jealous that, even though Cloud had known Riku for a few moments, he had invited the boy back to his dormitory. Hadn't he seen the way the boy was looking at him? That awe-filled gaze? It was a recipe for disaster…

"Squall! What the hell is wrong with you?" Seifer demanded. "You're more spacey than usual! I know that you didn't get much sleep last night- let me finish Zell- and that this has had a bad effect on you, but we have a lot of other people to visit before Sora's parents get here and-" Seifer stopped, knowing that his message had got through. Zell's expression of outrage had softened slightly, perhaps it was Seifer's anger at Squall, perhaps it was because he'd realised that the two hadn't spent the night together, maybe it was a mixture of the two, Squall found himself not caring.

"Last night an assassin from the Turks got into Garden. Not only did they kill a student, they were aiming at killing Cloud. He knows something, he may not realise it, but he does. They want him dead somehow, it's your mission to discover why. I'm dispatching you to Esthar immediately. Seifer and Quistis will accompany you. You are not to raise suspicions. Don't worry, Seifer and Quistis will brief you fully on the way there. I'm counting on you, Zell…" Squall paused then, Commander mode over. He searched Zell's blue eyes, before sighing, running his hands through his hair.

"I know things have been strained between us recently, Zell, for obvious reasons… I want you to know… Seifer and I are over… Completely this time… I was a fool before, but I'm moving on now. I'll forget if you will and we can be friends again…" Squall waited, hoping, praying, that Zell would accept his apology… of sorts…

Zell seemed to realise it was an apology and he smiled, nodding. Seifer smiled softly, stepping forward. Zell turned his eyes upwards, up to Seifer's own. Feeling like he was intruding, Squall stood, leaving quietly. He looked down the corridor, there it was… 12A… He could just pop in… Say he wanted to check how Riku was and needed to tell Cloud about the mission… Yeah, that's what he'd say…

Walking down the hall, he pulled out his skeleton key, opening the door with the intention of waking the sleeping blonde beyond. However, when he opened the door, he saw Riku, curled up against Cloud's naked chest, nuzzling gently and Cloud… his head resting on the boy's own…

Squall frowned. Obviously this couldn't be what it looked like… He admitted to himself he wanted Cloud. Really wanted him, in fact. But he hadn't thought he quite wanted him enough to feel… hurt… jealous… angry…

"Oh dear…" A voice came from behind him. Squall turned on his heel to see Rinoa stood behind him, still bleary due to the time of the morning, but an absent smile on her face.

"What?" Squall asked, closing the door with a soft click. Rinoa chuckled, reaching up to brush his bed mussed hair from his face.

"You've got it bad for him, and you're jealous because you want to be the one wrapped up next to him. I didn't have you down as the 'love at first sight' kind of person, Squall… I guess you do have a romantic side," She said playfully. Squall raised his eyebrow, but was inwardly disturbed by how accurate she seemed… Except for the love thing… He didn't love Cloud… There was a difference between love and lust…

"Whatever," The two ex-lovers chorused, Rinoa smothering her laughter behind her cuddly bunny. 'Snuggles' was the only thing that Squall had ever bought Rinoa, (he neglected to tell her it had been bought by Selphie to give to her under duress) and she made a point of sleeping with it every night, even though she and Squall had been over for a year and a half…

"I can read your face well enough now. You're easier to read now than you were when I first met you. You have a big neon sign across your forehead that just screams 'whatever' so we all know when it's coming now," Rinoa joked. Squall looked at the beautiful brunette, then offered her a rare smile.

"I'll have to practise harder…" He replied. She shook her head vehemently, grabbing Squall's hand at the same time.

"Nuh-uh! You're a great guy as you are! I'm sure that Cloud will see that too…" She winked and then danced out of Squall's grasp. Rolling his eyes, Squall leaned back, expecting there to be a door. Only there wasn't. Something, or someone, broke his fall and he looked down into a frightened pair of aqua eyes.

"C-Commander, sir!" Riku squeaked. Squall rolled off him, standing up to see Cloud's amused expression and Rinoa's muffled laughter. He would have blushed, would have been embarrassed, but he kept it all down. He could cringe about this later.

"I'm an amazingly light sleeper, Squall. Surely you didn't use a skeleton key to get into my dormitory for nothing?" Cloud asked. Riku's eyes widened at the familiar way that Cloud address the Commander. He then backed off, running out of the door in Cloud's clothes and pushing passed Rinoa.

Cloud sighed, his blonde tresses were messier than usual, his face seemed chubbier, cuter rather than the usual handsome features, his eyes were large but still held the haze of sleep… Adorable… That was the word that Squall was looking for. Cloud looked damned adorable…

"I was looking for Riku," Squall said. Cloud's smile faltered slightly, causing the Commander to smirk. He looked over his shoulder, sure enough, Rinoa had gone to catch Riku from whatever he was running to, and so that left Squall and his captive completely alone.

He kicked the door closed idly with his foot.

"Did you want me to have come here to see you, Cloud?" He… purred… Cloud's eyes widened, and he stood up, licking his lips absently. Reading the blonde's body language with an expert eye, Squall took another step forwards.

"Well? Yes or no? I don't have all day…" Squall took another step forward. The blonde swallowed. Squall wondered if Cloud was too frightened to speak or just too caught up in the seduction… Whichever it was, the gunblade expert wished that he would speak soon.

"Both…" The blonde said finally. Squall stopped, half way through another stride. Both? How could he want Squall to come and see him and not at the same time? Wasn't that a little bit of a contradiction…

"Both?" Squall finished the stride, now standing only a foot away from the blonde. They stared at each other, and for the longest time no one spoke… Finally Cloud met the storm grey eyes and he smiled.

"I wanted you to come and find me. I didn't want you to come here while Riku was here. It was awkward for him. He's just lost someone very special to him and there's nothing that anyone can say to console him. However, a leather clad sex god sneaking into my room while I was supposed to be asleep with the purpose of ravishing me probably struck a loose nerve," Cloud's voice was soft. Squall thought about that for a while.

"Sex god?" He asked, earning a light chuckle and a nod from Cloud.

"You are a very attractive guy, as I'm sure you know," The blonde said. Was he aware that he was eye popping 1? Probably not…

"Don't flatter yourself. I only came in here to find Riku," Squall turned around and exited. Once he was outside he realised how fast his heart was beating and how much he had hated that disappointed look on Cloud's face…

"Sephiroth… Please… Stop hurting me!"

"Please no!"

"P-Please…"

"It h-hurts so bad…"

"Ah! No! Stop!"

"St-Stop… Just stop hurting me…"

Cloud woke with a sheen of sweat coating his torso. He didn't remember falling asleep, but there he was, on his bed, clad only in the shorts of the night before. The nightmare was familiar, the first time that Sephiroth had forced himself upon him was burnt onto his mind. He could never banish that nightmare…

It had hurt, even in the dream… Cloud shifted uncomfortably… It seemed like that pain would never go away… That hurt, not only physically, but also emotionally. The father figure he had idolised had just been getting him ready for that final betrayal…

That went on and on…

Cloud turned his wild eyes to his desk and blinked. How had he not noticed someone was there, watching him?

"You interest me…" The woman said. Cloud frowned.

"Really? That's nice for you. Who are you and how did you get in?" He demanded. She chuckled and stepped forward, touching his cheek.

"My name is too hard to pronounce for your Estharian lips, but you may call me Aoife 2. As for how I got in here, I'll leave that one to your imagination. I have a distinct interest in you, Cloud, your fate and destiny ties you to Sephiroth, yet you have broken what was set out before you. You are confused, but do not worry. When you awaken, you fate will be set before you. Everything will be in place and the nightmares will leave you… You'll live your freedom…"

Squall watched Sora's parents as they looked down at Sora's body. They looked at each other, then burst into tears. Squall nodded, and Shelinda was about to put the cloth back across Sora's face, but the mother shook her head. Instead she wrenched the cover back to reveal the large gunshot wound.

"How did this happen?" She demanded, rage in her tear filled eyes. Squall opened his mouth, about to say the normal response. ' Insert name fell in the line of duty. He was protecting a client named Insert Name who has recently agreed to help us in a top-secret mission. Insert Name was one of the best SeeDs we had and it was a shame to both Garden and yourselves that this should have happened so early in his life.'

However, not a word passed through Squall's lips.

"He was with me…" Riku's quite voice came from the door. Squall frowned, then saw Rinoa stood behind him. This was no place for some distraught teen who thought he was in love. This was a family grieving time, what was Rinoa thinking?

"Riku?" The mother rushed forward, virtually smothering the boy. Squall waited patiently.

"P-Please let me speak!" Riku pushed her away a little roughly. Squall rolled his eyes, this was why he didn't allow the students into these places.

"Sora and I… We were really close…" Riku began. This earned a sad chuckle from Sora's father.

"You were attached at the hip. We couldn't have a family day out without him wanting to drag you along. You were the closest friends I've ever seen…" The father trailed off sadly. Squall immediately realised what was going on, why Riku was here, why Rinoa had brought him…

He hadn't just been Sora's friend, he'd been his boyfriend as well…

"You don't seem to understand…" Riku said, frustratedly running his hands through his hair. "Me and Sora were more than friends, we have been for over a year. He was just too scared to tell you…" Riku paused, eyes to the floor. "We were making out in the secret area when he was shot. He died in my arms… Telling me he loved me…"

Squall winced, watching the shocked reactions of Sora's parents. Then the mother quickly took Riku into a tight embrace, stroking his hair, making reassuring noises even though she was sobbing herself. Squall knew this was to be left well alone.

Coming out was hard enough to do when you were alive. Nevermind if you were dead…

I leaned against the door outside, looking at Rinoa who was smiling her sad little smile.

"It happens every year. We lose one or two and I feel so guilty, so helpless… I blame myself. I'm training them to die, Rinoa…" Squall put his hand to his forehead. He felt old, he certainly didn't feel nineteen. In love twice, heartbroken twice, Commander of Garden, orphan, Sorceress slayer, insecure, leader, teenager.

"You're training them to live. You can't blame yourself for any of this. Someone made the order to have Cloud killed. They are the ones at fault. Sephiroth is the one at fault. Without you, there would be no Garden, no hope, nothing…" She said passionately. Squall sighed, acknowledging she was right just to stop her from yelling at him.

"Sephiroth? The Sephiroth? Killed our Sora? Why?" Squall looked up to see Sora's father. He looked at Rinoa and then sighed.

"I'm not sure how safe it is to tell you that. It's completely against protocol however, you deserve to know why your son is dead. We are harbouring an escapee SOLDIER, he was extremely close to Sephiroth and, it just so happens, that he looks very much like Sora. They were mistaken in the darkness and while the SOLDIER was lying in the infirmary after a Thunder-induced wound, Sora was shot, seeing as he was out and about for everyone to see… Sora protected the SOLDIER for us, his death should never have happened, we all acknowledge that, but we can't deny it has bought us time to prepare ourselves using the SOLDIER's information and a reason now to launch an attack on the Shinra Regime," Squall explained. They remained silent for a long time before the mother shaking reached forward, taking Squall's hand.

"Could we… Could we talk to this SOLDIER?" She asked. Squall opened his mouth to object, then he saw Riku's pleading eyes. Sighing he ran his hands through his hair.

"I can take you to his dormitory. If he is not there I won't go and find him. You know too much already and you're a liability but… Damn, I'm going soft in my old age!" Squall cursed, half-joking, half-serious.

"If you're old, what are we?" The father asked. Squall shrugged, withholding his 'whatever'. He led them down the Glass Tower, then into the warm dormitory halls. 11a… 11b… 11c… 12a…

Squall pulled out his skeleton key, watching Riku's reaction. To the boy's credit, he didn't look jealous, but he did look a little bit… pissed off? Opening the door, Squall's eyes widened. Cloud lay on the bed, clad in leather pants and a black button up shirt. He was writhing in what seemed like pain, mumbling and crying out against some foe.

"Fucking Sephiroth… Oh, forgive the trooper's language…" Squall looked over his shoulder anxiously. Sora's mother however was watching Cloud on the bed, and pity formed on her features. Squall quickly strode across the room, touching Cloud's forehead.

"Seph… No… Please no… It hurts so much… Seph! NO!"

Cerulean eyes shot open and Squall found himself looking at the ceiling. Dazed grey met sky blue and Cloud blushed.

"Shit, sorry… I thought you were…" Cloud stopped, standing up. Squall got to his feet, touching the back of his head gingerly. Sure enough a small bit of blood, made brown as he soaked into his suede gloves.

"This is Sora's mother and father," Squall introduced. Cloud looked across at them, then bowed. Their eyebrows rose. Squall knew he should really play interpreter here.

"It's like a handshake," Riku explained first, challenge in his eyes. What was wrong with that boy? He obviously thought he was in love with Sora, why was he seeing Squall as some kind of threat? Squall didn't like the idea of having the silver haired boy, who looked so much like Sephiroth, around Cloud. If Cloud did have a thing for Sephiroth, he might be attracted to the boy and that wouldn't do…

Since when had Squall been so possessive? He and Cloud hadn't even slept together yet…

"I didn't ever meet Sora… I don't know what I can say to you to make it better…" Squall realised now, when he really concentrated that Cloud did have quite a distinctive Estharian accent. It was the way he pronounced all his words very carefully, as though he didn't natively speak that language…

In fact, it had been Adel who had forced all Estharians to talk in 'common speak' from what the Estharians called 'the west'. Most Estharians learned their native tongue first, a flowing speech that Squall had never been able to learn, but always seemed soothing, no matter what they were saying in it. They then progressed to 'Western Common Tongue'. Although Cloud's WCT was very good, he hadn't lost that accent… Hm…

"You don't need to say anything. Just seeing you and talking to you is enough, dear… Gosh, you do look like what my Sora would have looked like in a few years time. After he got rid of all his puppy fat… You're eyes, your hair… You're a little paler than he was… You look like you could do with a few good meals inside you as well," Squall blinked as Sora's mother proceeded to mother Cloud. He looked over at Riku and Sora's father to see them sharing a little smile.

Watching Sora's mother, Squall felt a little bit left out. Having a loving mother was something he'd never experienced. Cloud was being questioned now about his life, and was just telling her things, like he had known her his whole life… The motherly image just made him pour things out. Squall was… perplexed…

"And that's enough of that. Cloudy sweetheart, we need to talk to you. Preferably now!" Rikku stuck her head around the door. Squall put his hand to his forehead. What else could go wrong?

Oh no…

"Hey Squall! Oooh! Hey Riku! Why you crying? Huh? What's with the-" Selphie stopped when Squall stomped on her foot. It was obvious he'd done it and his boots made a loud 'clonk' as they landed on top of her own.

"Why'd you step on my foot?" She wailed, pretending to cry. Squall sighed.

"Selphie, did you know that SeeD called Sora? The one who passed at the same time as Riku?" Selphie and Rikku's faces brightened.

"The cute one-"

"-Who'd help anyone out-"

"-And was like one big teddy bear-"

"-And completely out of place in this military academy-"

"-Who had that massive crush on Kairi when we were in our candidate year?"

Selphie and Rikku wouldn't let each other finish the sentence. Squall cast worried glances at the mourning family, before bringing to two girls down to earth.

"Did you teach him Selphie? Yes or no?" Squall demanded. Immediately caught by the tone of Squall's voice, Selphie nodded slowly. Realisation dawned and she let out a wail.

"Not Sora! Not Sora! How could anyone kill him? He's the only kid I've ever taught who could actually pout his way out of someone killing him! How can he be dead Squall? He can't be!" Selphie yelled. She turned on her heel, stomping off. Squall sighed.

"That went rather well…" He commented dryly. Cloud's brow furrowed.

"How can that possibly go well?"

"The last time I told her one of her students had been killed in action she attacked me… I have the teeth marks in my arm to prove it…"

Everyone looked at Squall disbelievingly.

Cloud awoke on the morning of his exam feeling refreshed and ready. He concentrated as he placed all his spells and the two Guardian Forces he was allowed in his Buster Sword, concentrating further as he junctioned them.

"Quezacotl," He said the word slowly, Rinoa had almost despaired at his pronunciation of the word. It wasn't Cloud's fault, but in Esthar the Thunder Summon had been different. It seemed to change now he was in the Western Continent… "You'll always be Ramuh to me…" He sighed.

Standing up he quickly stretched, making sure to stretch every muscle in his body to the point where it was almost painful. He had worked up quite a sweat by the time he left the cramped confines of his dormitory. The cold morning air refreshed him as he headed for some breakfast before his shower.

"Cloud!" Rikku called. He looked at her, noting how fresh and clean she was, and how he smelt ever so slightly of body odour and his bed sheets.

"Hey," He replied easily. Rikku tilted her head on one side.

"Leather Cloud? No shirt? Trying to impress someone?" She asked, lightly tapping him on the nose.

"Only one person here worth impressing…" He replied easily. He and Rikku had this thing going on, they would flirt and mess about, even though their sexuality meant that they could never get together…

"Oh yeah? Who's that?" She asked, no, she purred. Cloud smirked, looking pointedly over her shoulder. Squall was walking down the hall, lost in thought, dark pools for eyes and a pale complexion. So, he didn't look his best right then, but Rikku immediately squealed.

"You two would make such a cute couple!" She jumped up and down, nearly crashing into Squall as he walked passed. This caused him to look at Cloud and… stop… smirking…

"I'm not looking for something 'cute' Rikku. I'm looking for something downright naughty," Cloud said, purposefully looking into the Commander's eyes. The storm's widened, the smirk disappeared, for a moment, Cloud thought he'd taken the flirting too far… Then…

"Naughty huh? I doubt an angel like you could be naughty…" It was a challenge, but Cloud was still quite happy at being called an angel… He knew that Riku would be looking between the two of them. There was a strange kind of tension between them, something that bordered on electrical… One wrong move and it could explode, one right move and it would explode. The only difference was the type of explosion.

"I can be a devil if the need arises…" Cloud trailed off suggestively. Squall shrugged, then, breaking the gaze and ending the electricity with a tremendous anti-climax.

"Haven't you got an exam to be at, in about… twenty minutes?" The brunet asked. The 'angel' looked at his own watch, realising that it had stopped. He cursed running back to his dormitory. If he had looked back he would have seen the smouldering gaze Squall sent after his back.

Squall raised his eyebrows at Cloud as he met Selphie and Rinoa in the main hall of Trabia. It was slightly interesting to note how Cloud's hair still didn't lie flat even when wet, how cute he looked when he was rushed, how damned hot he was in those leather pants…

"You're late, cadet, that will detract marks from your grade," Squall barked, pushing emotion aside and putting on his 'Commander' mask. Cloud made a hasty salute, wincing as he realised it was his SOLDIER one. Old habits died hard…

"Sorry, sir. I had a few problems… Riku refused to let me shower until I had… enlightened him… On my situation sir. I had to knock him out… Er… I took a detour to the Infirmary to drop him off…" Cloud's face went bright red. Squall hid his amusement, he didn't know why he saw Riku as a threat for Cloud but…

"It is tardiness that can mean life or death on the battle field. You should know that…" Squall reminded him. Cloud sent him his best glare, but it was just… cold… So cold that Squall had to hold back a shiver. He looked to Rinoa and Selphie, shrugging.

"Is that my part done? I'm a little busy right now. I have a group of SeeDs in Timber who need checking on, and they're going to contact me in… six minutes…" Squall looked to the two women. The two brunette's hid their smiles from him and nodded.

It was a tactic that they had originally come up with to put cadets at ease. They would only be going into their SeeD exam with a few SeeDs, no one special, and the 'judgers' would in fact be watching incognito… In Cloud's case, he was being sent with those who might make him feel the most comfortable, and Squall was going to follow them… In fact, he was going to be the enemy that Cloud fought once he got to Shumi Village.

"Yeah, get going. We can't be waiting around for you forever Squally-baby," Selphie giggled, waving goodbye. Smirking, Squall blew a kiss back. Both Selphie and Rinoa pretended to catch it, but Cloud just smiled, as though he knew that the kiss had been meant for him…

Cloud sat in the Garden car, silently going through everything he had been taught.

A man whose family had been killed in the Sorceress War had gone on a rampage, killing as many of the Shumi as he had come across, even going so far as to kill a Moomba. The Shumi had called upon Garden for aid, Cloud was being sent to 'repay a debt' as Rinoa said, illusively.

Selphie explained, unusually seriously, how the Shumi had managed to trap the killer, however their beliefs meant that they couldn't kill him themselves. So they wanted Cloud to do it…

"If it makes it easier, I just remember something Squall told me once. They're on one side, we're on the other. It's our perspectives that stand us apart. He may have suffered the death of his family, but it had nothing to do with the innocent Shumi Tribe. Therefore, who is wrong? He is. You are being paid to do this, so don't get cold feet," Rinoa said quietly. Cloud nodded before returning to his magic. If he was unsure of anything, he would carefully cast it, only small balls of water, flames, sparks or icicles, but enough to convince himself that he could do it.

Rinoa and Selphie went into the driver's cabin, and the car stopped. Cloud frowned, they weren't in a hurry to get there it seemed…

"We've got to pull over. There's a monster on the road and it's blocking the car. Show us what you can do…" Rinoa winked.

Cloud jumped out and looked up and up and up and up at the Iron Giant.

"Oh shit."

****

Ending Notes:

__

End of part one! Part two will be up soon!

NephilimTear, I am seriously considering what you said about Kuja and Cloud. As soon as Cloud gets into the fluff and everything with Squall, I planned on having a lot of references to Cloud's past and how it's clouding his judgement etc. However, you said that the last chapter was rushed… Well… That' s mainly because the focus of that chapter, which starts the ball truly rolling as it were, is Sora's death. Therefore, Riku meets Cloud (you'll know the significance some time towards the end) and Squall has a reason to try to take down Sephiroth…

I'm waffling, I should stop. Buh-bye!


End file.
